Couple charged with child neglect

Friday

May 19, 2017 at 4:59 PMMay 19, 2017 at 4:59 PM

Emily Ann Barefoot, 27, and Don Wayne Barnes, 33, appeared in court Friday on several charges, including child neglect, in connection with the case. BCSO reported the family was living in conditions of disarray with rotting food, garbage and sharp items throughout the house.

ZACK McDONALD News Herald Reporter @PCNHzack

FOUNTAIN — Methamphetamine and gator meat led to the arrests of a transient couple allegedly found squatting with their children in a trailer, surrounded by garbage and rotting food, authorities reported.

Emily Ann Barefoot, 27, and Don Wayne Barnes, 33, appeared in court Friday on several charges, including child neglect, in connection with the case. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) reported discovering the scene at a Hurst Road home where the couple and their children had been living for some time without permission. Both were taken to jail afterward where they each were being held on a $20,000 bond, court records state.

Neither Barefoot nor Barnes could be reached for comment Firday. It’s unclear whether the children were turned over to family members at the time of their arrests.

BCSO reported the family was living in conditions of disarray with rotting food, garbage and sharp items throughout the house. They also had been living without running water, officers reported.

“Also while speaking with (Barefoot) one of her children was observed drinking dirty water out of a gallon jug and eating cereal from a cut in half two-liter bottle, which had milk that appeared to be spoiled,” officers wrote. “This couple with the fact that the methamphetamine and paraphernalia was in close proximity to where the children slept and spent most of their time, it is believed that this environment could and was causing harm to the children.”

Deputies responded to the house Thursday at about 10:45 a.m. after the property owner requested officers search and apprehend any trespassers. Officers entered through an unsecured back door and announced their presence when Barefoot, Barnes and the children emerged from a bedroom, BCSO reported.

Drug paraphernalia and a firearm were allegedly in plain sight, and officers reported later finding homemade methamphetamine pipes and individually packaged bags of methamphetamine that officers believe were meant for distribution, BCSO reported.

During the search, officers also found an American alligator carcass in the backyard and chunks of gator meat bagged in the refrigerator, BCSO reported.

The two were each charged with possessing gator meat without a permit, intending to distribute meth, manufacturing and possession of drug paraphernalia and child neglect.

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